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#11
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I have a Zoom Telephonics Internet Gateway Model 4165. It has two hard
wired ports and wireless. It has a printer port and a dial-up modem port as well as the DSL/Cable Modem port. It has worked perfectly for me and I highly recommend it. I use it in a small network with one hard wired desktop and two wireless laptops sharing a cable modem internet connection as well as the usual network stuff. Hawkeye wrote: Get one that has a built in wired router as well. OK Any brands or models I should look at? |
#12
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Well, from your answers I think you are venturing more towards the Linksys
products. One other point - I worked on VPN for a very well known Internet networking company and when we were developing new products, such as VPN Pass-thru Clients, the only two makes of SOHO Cable/ADSL Routers that always worked with them were from Linksys and Netgear. Sometimes our own products would not work but Linksys and Netgear would. I think Linksys have been bought out by someone now! ;-) J. wrote in message news 1) Decide if you really need Wireless or not? Think about the pros and cons Yes... I want it 2) Work out how many Ports you need? Hmm.... at least 4? 3) If you opt for Wireless do you want 802.11a, 802.11b, one than handles both or do you want the newer 802.11g? The newer 802.11g |
#13
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wrote in message ... I'm using a Netgear wireless router and it works fine for sharing an internet connection. If you swap large files often between computers, it is a bit slow. Since I already have a wired router..... would you recommend just getting the "wireless access point" or WAP as it is called? That way I can set the access point up high or wherever I want in the house? Or....is the all in one unit just handier as there are less cables.... mess... etc? Ironically, the all-in-one wireless routers (these usually come with 3 - 4 wired ports) are about the same price as a standalone WAP, and probably would be a better price value . . . BUT placement may be an issue as you alluded to. I have a WAP connected to my network, which is in the same room as my wired router. I tested the placement of the WAP in several locations within the room, and found that placing the WAP on the floor, about 12 feet away from the router, gave me better reception for the use of my laptop downstairs. In fact, I can get a decent signal two floors down in my basement (and a half decent signal in the backyard on my deck), which I could not get leaving the WAP next to my router (and moving the router was not practical). SO, flexibility in the placement of the wireless signal may be very important. The construction of your house may affect where you place your wireless signal (particularly if you have central A/C with all of its ductwork; an open hallway design vs. closed doors/hallways, etc.). It's easier to move a WAP (and one CAT5 wire), rather than moving a router (with several wires). Besides, if you like to look at your router's lights in front of you (like I do 8-} ), then something else (i.e. the WAP) has to move. I say get the WAP (you already have a perfectly good router anyway, so why not use it? Besides, you wouldn't make any money on the sale of it, since brand new 4 port Netgear wired Routers are selling as cheap as $20 after rebate this week). And you are already looking at the 802.11 (g) variety of wireless equipment, as you noted earlier. Some WAPs are better than others, so look around. I have a "multi-brand setup" (Netgear FVS318 Firewall/VPN Router; an SMC 2655 WAP (802.11 (b) only); an SMC PCI wireless card for one of my PCs; a Lucent Orinoco Gold PCMCIA wireless card (802.11 (b) only) for my laptop; and a Xircom wireless module for my Handspring Visor. The SMC WAP is at the center of my "wireless world," and everything works fine. The key to having decent wireless reception (aside from a good WAP) is getting a really good PCMCIA card with good range (assuming your laptop doesn't already have the wireless capabilities built-in). This is where you should really do your homework Go to http://www.practicallynetworked.com, where they have reviews of the various products. The user comments are really useful in determining which products people are most satisfied with. Good luck. Des |
#14
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The key to having decent wireless reception (aside from a good WAP) is
getting a really good PCMCIA card with good range (assuming your laptop doesn't already have the wireless capabilities built-in). This is where you should really do your homework Thanks Des!! You make very good sense. I will just go ahead and get the WAP..... and keep my router. Like you said tho.... a whole new combo AP/router costs no more than just a WAP alone. Weird huh? Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway.... could I plug it into my existing router.... to get better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports and a router if I needed em to boot? Hope that made sense. G |
#15
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[...]
Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway.... could I plug it into my existing router.... to get better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports and a router if I needed em to boot? [...] Yes, the WAP can be used as a hub. Plug the ethernet cable from a LAN port on the router to a LAN port on the WAP (leave the WAN port on the WAP empty), then turn off DHCP on the WAP when you configure it. |
#16
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wrote in message ... The key to having decent wireless reception (aside from a good WAP) is getting a really good PCMCIA card with good range (assuming your laptop doesn't already have the wireless capabilities built-in). This is where you should really do your homework Thanks Des!! No Prob! Question....suposing I bought a combo unit anyway.... could I plug it into my existing router.... to get better placement.... but then I STILL have more ports and a router if I needed em to boot? Hope that made sense. G I can't help you on that one (i.e. multiple routers on the same network). But I can imagine that you would be asking for trouble. If you're looking for extra ports, get the WAP and a 10/100 network switch (instead of a second router). A switch is much cheaper than a second router (except for those Netgears this week!), and would not have a complicated configuration scheme that you might have with the second router. With a switch, all you have to do is connect it to your existing router, and plug your extra PCs into it - you don't have to configure anything. You still want your "upstream" router (the Linksys) to control Internet access, NAT, the assignment of IP addresses, etc. A second router might complicate that. A switch wouldn't compromise that setup at all, and would have the same speed as a router. I have a Gigabit switch on my network - just plugged it in and zoom! Note: Get a switch, not a "hub"! (a switch is better). Switches can be 4-ports, 8-ports, etc. depending on your needs. So, for your setup, I'd say do the following: Router (keep the Linksys); WAP (wireless "g"); also wireless "g" PCMCIA wireless card; 10/100 Switch (4 or 8 port). IMHO, this is your best "simple design/best performance/added expansion capability" combo. Des |
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